Cops: Patchogue man dies after falling off trunk of friend's moving car
A Patchogue man died early Saturday when he tried to ride through a Farmingville parking lot on the trunk of a friend's car but slipped off and hit his head on the pavement, police said.
Rafael Acosta-Lemus, 21, spent Friday evening at the Tiki Hookah Bar on Portion Road with a group of friends. At about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, they left the bar with plans to get a late-night snack, Suffolk Det. Sgt. Michael Fitzharris said.
Acosta-Lemus and another friend, who were parked on the opposite side of the lot, asked a third friend if they could catch a ride to their car on the trunk of his Volkswagen sedan, Fitzharris said.
The vehicle, driven by a 20-year-old Brentwood man who was not named by police, was moving at a slow speed, but Acosta-Lemus apparently lost his grip because of frost, Fitzharris said.
The other person sitting on the trunk, who police also did not name, could not grab Acosta-Lemus in time, police said.
Acosta-Lemus was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. No one else was injured.
"They were all friends," Fitzharris said. "It's a tragedy all around."
There was no alcohol involved in the accident, and no charges are expected, Fitzharris said.
Anyone who may have witnessed the accident and who has not been interviewed by detectives is asked to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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